Fire Emblem: The Maiden's Shadow
by TheSilverHairedMaiden
Summary: Nyala joins the Dawn Brigade with her friend Winnie, a wolf laguz, only to learn a terrible secret about her regarding the Goddess. Then, when she's sent to Crimea, she ends up having to choose what side she's really on. R and R! Will be a LONG story.
1. Prologue

Prologue: Seeds of Change

(Year 615, 20 years before Path of Radiance begins)

Cecilia's life was simple. Some would say it was boring and, essentially, it was. There wasn't any denying the fact either, which lead Cecilia to believe she was more pathetic than she thought. She sighed to herself as her sun-tanned fingers slid smoothly on the surface of a cherry blossom petal, which she had been fiddling with absently. Everyone in her town believed more excitement would be a good thing, even if all that were to happen was along the lines of "Jennifer's got a new Heal staff for when you need it, Cecilia" or "Did you know the General Store has started selling corn?" No such luck.

And so Cecilia was left there, alone in the cherry tree's vast branches, probably obscured to anyone by the innumerable sweet-smelling petals surrounding her. She was sitting on her favorite branch, the strongest and widest one, with her legs crossed and back arched so her hands tightly grip the branch in front of where the shins intersected. How she clung to that piece of wood was stupid, really; she was a master of balance. She knew she wasn't going to fall. Cecilia couldn't help but be scared anyway. Height was a fearful thing to anyone. Horrifying. Even sitting, she felt like the entire tree swaying and, as little colorful dots started appearing in the corner of her eyes (the kind that appears when you either pass out or stand up too fast), she decided it was time to end her training session for today.

She closed her eyes and started taking deep, calming breathes, because the next part of her fear-banishing training session needed preparation. She was going to have to get down somehow, and she knew the only way was the exact same she got up. Her tail swished back and forth uncomfortably, and her ears twitched at the thought.

_What kinda cat are you? _She scolded herself in her mind. _The kind who's afraid of heights? The kind her father would laugh at, thinking he would be joking about having such pathetic frights? The kind of cat who gets STUCK IN A TREE!? _

And Cecilia was stuck. She was too scared and too dizzy to get down. Her body has rigid with fear and wasn't obeying any commands. So here she was – the worst cat Laguz on the continent. The poor little kitty girl, stuck in a tree, and the irony of it was so completely ridiculous she gave a short, hysterical high-pitched laugh before gasping loudly and clutched her tree branch harder as the wave of giggles shook her slightly. All she needed to do was shift into her cat form, trot to the end of the branch she knew could easily support three times her weight and jump down the two meters to the ground. If she could run and jump _up_ that way, she could get down that way even easier... except for the fact that when she got up she wasn't looking at the ground, no vertigo making her heart pulse painfully harder.

It was useless. Her mind was too discouraged to let her jump down without help or even shift without being scared madly of losing her balance. She was going to need help.

"N-Nifco!" she yelped loudly, hoping he wasn't in his shop. He usually was strolling into the square around these hours.

"Nifco! Help!" she called desperately, squealing as she lost focus on her death grip on the tree's limb and as a result slipped a tad too much for her taste.

Across the park Cecilia was in, the town square bathed happily in a sea of sunshine, a large fountain in its middle (which was actually oval), rogue water drops bursting against the concrete edge and kissing the regular's arms as they passed. The sun flashed it's warmth into people's faces, necks and arms. It was somewhat crowded, given it was in the early afternoon. It was the smallest and probably most social and successful town in Tellius – Palean, it was called – considering its very existence was known to only about 30 people.

This was the town that was started by a runaway, a safe house for other fellow runaways. Runaways trying to escape their fate. The town was founded 21 years ago by a man and his love, a laguz and a beorc respectively, outcast by their village for loving the other. The laguz/beorc conflict wasn't that bad back then; they managed to co-exist with only minor disputes, mostly due to them living in their separately owned and ruled countries. This town had tested its boundaries when a large group of beorc asked if they could settle in the all-laguz Hatarian town and the wolf-laguz had accepted on one condition; the beorcs had to extend and live on one side of town and pay the laguz no heed. It could have sounded bitter and unfair, but back then it was great allegiance that was never – or rather rarely, as there were some exceptions throughout the continent – accepted.

The village's story was well known by every single of its inhabitant: when one laguz man met and fell in love with a beorc woman, both were expelled from town, and had no choice but to cross the Desert of Death into Daein or be executed. The man wondered how this could have happened; he had been thinking that the laguz's permission for the beorc's settlement in their land was a new beginning and he and his love were helping to strengthen it. The wronged man and woman left to find a place that could accept both races, and after finding none, they managed to start their own.

The man and his love started with a farm, and then came a man who could sell their products in nearby towns. A kindhearted healer dreaming of having a hospital for anyone wounded with or without money to pay soon followed, a few young orphans who were with the healer joined and helped with the crops, and finally the orphans became older and built their own houses and had children of their own, debuting the town's ascension. The man who shipped the farm's products had known his costumers would never buy from such a small, laguz and beorc village, so he never said where the beautifully perfect vegetables and fruits had come from. As simple as that. No questions were ever asked. The town remained secret to anyone the salesman didn't think would want to move into or live in the little nameless family of outcasts. Occasionally, he would find a war-torn family with maybe only one grieving parent and one or two young children with them and offer them a home in the happy community. The town grew stronger and richer still, and that pattern carried on until a sufficient number of people believed in the integrated town with its large, shared heart and never-wavering hope of change. It became a place of miracles. It had a tiny hospital that healed wounded soldiers or travelers attacked by bandits, racists, anything, but the hospital also happened to be home to a slightly darker but necessary purpose. Every now and then, when a soldier or traveler happened to come along for whatever reason (mostly people stumbling along the villa by accident) they didn't particularly seem too fond of the idea of integrated towns. The hospital had found a wonderfully talented bishop with a gift of wielding a Memory staff – a staff able to manipulate one's memory at the caster's will. Quite handy for a place needing to remain secret in the untrustworthy and unpredictable country of Daein. Thus, the town stayed exclusive and solitary, silently helping those in need because of the never-ending wars.

Nifco, however, felt as though even with how magical and secretive the story of its past had made the town seem, he thought there could never be a more mind-numbingly boring place. Nothing ever happened here. Why? Because the place was a secret, of course. From time to time there was an earthquake, some big and some small, but nobody was ever even injured or anything. Just boring little tremors which made people worry about their corn or vegetables or fruits, because they knew nothing bad could possibly happen to their boring co-villagers. Nifco wasn't necessarily sadistic; he was actually quite nice and helpful. The sheer boredom of Palean just made him edgy at times. He didn't wish for an earthquake-induced injury, he wished for _excitement._

Suddenly, the young man heard his named being called form the direction of the park, and he could tell it was Cecilia. Beautiful Cecilia. The sole reason in embodiment who didn't make him leave town and not return.

_Goddess, what has she gotten herself into this time? _He thought to himself, leaping down from the large rock he'd been perched on. He heard his name being called again and trotted off the general direction of Cecilia's voice, leading him into the small, tree-filled park where she spent most of her time.

"Cecilia?" Nifco called out curiously, spotting her pale-faced and clinging to a tree limb with all her strength. "Why the hell are you in a tree?"

He felt direct today. In fact, he usually was, but he also did his best to be as kind as possible when it came to the laguz girl.

"T-training!" she replied, a tint of red to her cheeks when she noticed Nifco had, in fact, come to her aid. "T-trying to cure my f-fear of heights."

"...And you're stuck?"

"A little."

He grinned. Shameful Cecilia.

Nifco, being a beorc, was going to climb a tree to get a kitten down. How tragic, how typical, how ironic. He backed up a few paces for a boost and ran headlong at the tree. He jumped swiftly – easily, grabbing a thinner branch and swung his feet up to climb onto another. He made his way up the tree slowly so it wouldn't shake, as he didn't want Cecilia to be more frightened than she already was. Finally he crept his way onto her branch and crawled over to where she was. He grinned in his commonly mischievous and cynical way, making her sigh. For lovers, they enjoyed getting on each other's nerves.

"Are you going to help me down or just show off more?" she asked scathingly.

Nifco's grin only grew larger.

"I think I'll help you down, seeing as I'm not actually a total jerk, shockingly," he said softly, offering her his hand – which she instantly took.

"No, not shockingly," Cecilia started thoughtfully, her mood swinging from annoyed to gentle unexpectedly. "We all know you're nicer than you think you are."

_Haha,_he laughed sarcastically. _Yeah right. I'm nice to her, but when it comes to others…._

She knew he didn't like being called nice, even if he was. He had rude habits but, most of time, he was helpful. Anyway, that's how people in town saw him.

Nifco noticed they were still holding hands and proceeded to tug hers lightly until she remembered the fact she was ten feet off the ground and balanced in a cherry tree. Cecilia drew in a quick breath, trying not to look at the doomed ground promised to her if she fell.

"Help me down now?" she whispered, leaning closer to him.

They were almost touching now.

"Of course," he whispered back, meeting her irises.

He loved staring into her eyes; she always seemed to melt when he did. This time was no exception. He smiled a genuine smile of kindness, and murmured in return "Get on my back." She nodded and climbed on, sliding her short legs though the locks his arms provided her. Nifco, easily supporting the girl's weight, shuffled over to the end of the branch and prepared himself for the drop.

"You can't be serious," Cecilia muttered, partially to herself. "You'll kill yourself – and me in the process, while trying to land on your feet with our combined weight."

Nifco stroked his thumb along Cecilia's exposed shin. "Not if I can help it."

He grinned once more in his trademark way and dived into open air.

I know there's no FE character in this first chapter, but it's really important for later in the story. REVIEW! ALL REVIEWS GET LOW-FAT MUFFINS AND A JUICE-BOX! I know, im lame...


	2. Chapter 1

No, is that...? It can't be! AN UPDATE?! Sshh! don't yell! You'll scare it away!

Haha, thank you to everyone who reviewed! I swear, next time I'll spring for the real muffins.

Inside Joke Theatre:

"Do you want to help dice carrots?"

"Not really."

"Oh"

"You know what you need? Adam Lambert."

"Does he dice carrots?"

"That's not what I meant, mom."

~WARNING~ Beware of lots of explaining in this chapter.

ENOUGH FOOLING AROUND, INITIATE CHAPTER 2, DEPLOOOOOY!

Year 638, the year Radiant Dawn begins.

Chapter 1

Nyala was strolling aimlessly; because that's what her life happened to be, in her opinion. An aimless stroll through the happy-go-lucky universe that obviously had it in for her. She had wonderful brothers and sisters, two of each, a hardworking father and used to have a cleaning obsessed mother. Her father was Barrett, a middle-aged man with a young face even considering he had raised five children on his own after his wife passed away from a lung infection when Nyala was seven and a half, though she had been alive for ten years. It wasn't really sad or anything, her mother didn't seem to like dark mages much, so therefore the girl wasn't extremely fond of her mother either. When she died, her siblings grieved but Nyala shrugged it off, not being able to deny she did have at least a little affection for her caregiver. Caregiver. Not mother.

She wasn't an angst-filled teenager, (quite like her only friends happened to be) but was actually decent at dealing with situations without too much conflict; of course, part of the reason was she had no chance of winning in a fight. She had never been able to find her true calling like her siblings and friends had, all of them simply picked up whatever weapons and tomes felt right and away they went, blasting trees and handmade training dummies to bits. Nyala was a dark mage. She was only a little better at it than any of the other tomes she'd tried, and a good million times better at it than any weapon. She was still pretty bad at magic though, only finally casting spells of the same power when she was twenty years old than Orland had when he was thirteen. Yeah. That bad. Of course, she wasn't really 20, that was just how many years she'd been alive.

The Branded aging system was annoying, Nyala thought, mostly because of the basic mechanics of it. Laguz age slowly. How slow, she had to do some intense math to find out. It was a weird percentage slower than beorc, and she used her friend Winnie as an example. Winnie was a full Laguz and exactly one hundred years old, and the town adults agreed she looked to be about how a beorc girl would look in her early seventeenth year, or very late sixteenth. .17 percent slower growth than beorc. One thing she knew for sure about both the Branded and laguz aging system was this: it doesn't matter how many years you've been alive, because you don't mentally develop at a beorc pace. You grow up slower, and though you look fifteen at twenty years, you're only fifteen in Branded years. You act like a fifteen year old beorc would, you're simply twenty. If the wolf laguz acted her beorc age, she might actually stop thinking about anything before she did it. No such luck, and if anything, she acted younger than seventeen. It's a hard concept, granted, but that really didn't make it any less annoying to try explaining to little kids or generally stupid people.

Nyala was born twenty years ago, but lived in not only the body but the mind of a fifteen year old, because of her stupid Brand. It was no secret she was Branded, the whole town knew.

Even in the mind and body of a seven year old, it wasn't past a decently smart child to figure out that none of her "siblings" had Brands, and it couldn't have been only the first child to bare the Branded marking due to the fact she was the middle child. That was out of the question anyway- she technically wasn't the middle child, she as an only child. She knew Barrett knew _she_ knew she was adopted, but neither of them really spoke about it. He was still her father, even though his wife hadn't wanted to adopt some stupid Branded Cecilia and Nifco had been too negligent to look after, considering shortly after Nyala had turned three, they had gotten themselves killed trying to fight for "the honour of their town." At least that's what her "mother" had always told her. Always.

The black-haired girl sighed audibly to herself, trying to force her mind to change the subject. Maybe she should go see what Orland or Winnie was up to, or maybe go practice her magic like she knew she should. She decided to visit her friends.

The walk to Orland's house took her along a pretty route- right through the park being the shortest way to get there. She had always loved the park and its many strong, good cherry trees, the way the air smelled there, and the memories of playing with her friends here. It had both a sentimental and nostalgic air to it. She let her hands graze a cherry tree's bark as she passed and smiled to herself at the feeling for a bit, then her hand moved onto wrought iron gate indicating the exit of the park. The view of the town was stunning from this part of the park- it lead right into the southern corner of the town square. Pretty much everyone on the town was in the square around this time, it was just midday and the sun was high. Everyone knew each other's names, there weren't many to learn. Ah, the beauties of a secret town. No one called each other by formal names, it was either first name or "Aunt" or "Uncle", such as the seamstress who went by Aunt Isis though she wasn't related to anyone in the town, or the blacksmith Wal. Everyone here was family.

Nyala suddenly realized she was standing in the gateway for quite some time now, and trekked off again to find Orland. Her friend Orland worked with his mother in the hospital as trainee healer, but he wasn't as good at healing as he had been at thunder magic. _Had_ _been _being the keywords there.

Nyala sobered up immediately at the thought. It was a painful one to think about. The Branded girl had always tried to be strong about it for Orland's sake, but the memory of the day her spell casting friend lost his ability to use magic had been hard for her too. The memory engulfed her quickly; it was a hard memory not relive when it enters your thoughts.

Nyala and Orland had been attempting to catch frogs in the ravine in the forest not too far from town, and hadn't been expecting an encounter with any thieves. They had attempted to steal whatever they could it seemed- tomes, clothes, and food. The two mages were well equipped in case of an emergency and were shooting off spells at lightning speed. Orland had managed to summon quite a powerful spell for his age, nearly killing his target, whose colleagues became enraged at this. One dashed with blinding speed at the young boy, his dagger flashing in the sun's rays, and jumped. His knife slit Orland's throat in a clean motion and the sound of ripping flesh was drawn. The thieves took off after that, carrying their wounded friend and most of the two children's possessions. Nyala remembered how she had not screamed for help like she wanted to; no one would have heard her. Instead she ripped off part of her black cloak and used it to put pressure on her dying friend's bloody wound. He was groaning softly, his hands trying to make it to his throat to hold. His eyes were squeezed shut.

"Orland! Please, you're okay Orland, you'll be okay! We're going for help right now, it isn't far... you can make it..." Nyala was choking out, hoisting her friend as gently as possible into her arms.

His groans of pain were getting scratchy sounding, and his breaths were raspy. Blood from Orland's throat was seeping right through the material it was wrapped in and was dampening Nyala's arm, matching the moisture on her right shin were she had been slashed too. The dark mage didn't even notice. She was now trying to run as fast as possible without jostling her bloodied and dying friend too much, sometimes having to slow down to awkwardly climb over a tree branch or jump over a root. Orland was becoming quieter and quieter in her arms, and his eyes remained closed.

Finally they emerged from the trees and were only yards from the town's borders. Nyala then began screaming loudly.

"Help us! Please, someone! We need help! Hurry!" She had been shrieking, tears threatening to falls in fear. Her calling was responded to by Manya, a lion laguz who owned the weapon shop near the edge of town. Manya came bolting over as soon as she heard the cry and was over to the two children in a matter of seconds. The small Branded girl was sweating and covered in blood, out of breath but still screaming for help.

"Shh, it's okay, Nyala, dear, I've got him." The lioness said, taking gently the boy from Nyala's arms. As soon as he had been taken from her, Nyala regained some control and said "Let's go, we've got to hurry." And she and Manya made their way to the hospital in a frenzied haste.

Nyala shuddered at the memory of how Orland's mother had shrieked and dropped the glass jar she had been holding when Manya carried in her pale faced son. She was practically hysterical, and the Healer's apprentice had to do the healing for her. Her apprentice had a bizarrely calm face about her and that made her more likable than ever at the time in Nyala's eyes. She healed Orland as best as she could under the circumstances- he had already lost a lot of blood, and the damage was very, very deep.

Little to say, her friend had dealt a serious blow straight to the vocal cords and would never be able to speak properly again. He could still form raspy words sometimes, but they were almost completely incoherent. Not only had he lost his simplest way of communication, he had lost his ability to use magic because he could no longer read out the ancient scriptures to summon spirits. Two major losses from one unfortunate accident involving some lowlife thieves who tried to kill a child.

The Branded girl now rounded the corner that put her right in front of Orland's house and knocked on the door. He answered immediately, like he knew she was coming before Nyala even chose to go. He nodded happily and stepped outside with his friend.

Nyala grinned and asked if he wanted to help her find Winnie, already forgetting the pain the memory had caused her when she saw his smile.

Orland was barely taller than Nyala, who had always been short for her age. He had blond hair that was quite pale and hung to his mid-throat, halfway between his ear and collarbone. He had sharp features and pointed, lynx-like ears that made him look elfin. He had eyes that were blue as the ocean and a piercing stare. His friends were the only ones who broke his always unamused expression in favour of a one-sided smile. His main apparel was a white tunic with a thick brown leather belt around his waist and nondescript white pants. He wore a pale yellow cloak that mostly obscured his clothes and went right to the floor, covering his leather sandals.

Orland nodded once more at the younger girl's suggestion. Nyala claimed she was fifteen because the Branded system was not to be influenced by the beorc one, so she wasn't twenty. She had been alive longer, but was still younger than her sixteen year old friend? Apparently so.

Nyala walked quickly through the streets, waving and calling out greetings to everyone who passed. She knew Winnie would be at Manya's by now, helping her with inventory or something. Both were fascinated by the "strange beorc weapons" and loved crafting them. They worked with the blacksmith Wal to create new and better weapons for beorc; the laguz seemed to think fighting with weapons was unsportsmanlike. Nyala had no idea how it would be, but it was what Winnie told her every time they sparred.

The two teenagers walked into Manya and Wal's store, but Winnie wasn't in sight.

"Hi there, Manya. Where's Winnie?" Nyala asked, waving happily at the lioness perched on the counter, who was bent over a solid-looking battle axe. She was a woman of enormous presence, being incredibly tall and loud, and sometimes that could be quite frightening when those traits manifested themselves while she was working on a sharp-looking new weapon.

"Morning Nyala, Orland. " She responded, looking up from her weapon for a minute to greet them properly. "I let Winnie leave early- it's a nice sunny day and she's worked hard this week. She might be in the forests or around the park if you didn't see her in town. Hey, do you want some tea? I made way too much and I don't want to throw it away, here, come and sit! I bet you've worked hard, Nyala, being on the farm all day and-"

Nyala laughed. "No, no, that's alright, but thank you anyway. We have to be on our way." She said, trying to reject the woman's offer as politely as possible. Once Manya started talking, she didn't stop. Ever. Or at least until someone eventually dragged her away by the ear of she fell asleep mid-sentence. Manya shrugged, un-offended. "Maybe next time! See you around!" She chirped, going back to her axe.

The two mages set off to find their disappearing friend again, but she was nowhere. Absolutely none of the town's few stores, not in the park, her house, the square. They even checked the forest thoroughly, but they couldn't see her. She must be quite far in, Nyala decided, abandoning her forest expedition.

"Let's go home, Orland." She proposed with a sigh. "I'm tired, and we've been looking for her all afternoon." The taller mage nodded and made many quick, brief motions with his hands. He was speaking in the sign language Winnie and Nyala and he had made up with him years ago, and all spent countless hours memorizing.

"I don't know where she could be, and her parents must be worried. She's a little too important to go missing." She answered as she turned on her heels to go back towards the town. They weren't too far into the forest, but the sun was already lowering in the sky at just a few marks past midday. It was early autumn, too early for snow and still quite warm during the day, but this was around the time when the sun began setting noticeably earlier.

The black-haired girl was pondering whether or not Winnie's parents knew where their daughter was; they of all people should know. Her parents kept very close tabs on her and were concerned for her safety, which they really didn't have to be. She was a wolf laguz of massive power and a far better fighter than Nyala, and better at was of equal power with Orland- when he could use magic, of course. She was always getting herself into situations that somehow always seemed to end up with Nyala fixing them for her, whom the dark mage actually didn't mind much; she never got to be the hero in battle. Winnie also happened to be one of the most important people the town due to the fact her great-uncle had been the brother of the town's laguz founder himself. The founders never had children, but the laguz's older brother moved to the town his brother had written to him about. When the founders died, the tiny population announced they thought the brother should be the new mayor. Thus, Winnie was next in line for the position. _She would be a good one too_. Nyala thought, her ever-changing thought pattern shifting again. The hyperactive wolf would be a great leader once she settled down a little, and stopped getting into things far over her head. The whole town loved her to death; she had a naturally confident air around her without being too haughty, and was charismatic in the extreme. A true people person who was destined for great things. It made Nyala proud that the girl had chosen her for a best friend out of the other teenagers in town, who admittedly weren't that plentiful, but still.

Nyala smiled to herself and then at Orland, who gave her a confused smile back. The two approached Nyala's house and stepped inside, greeted by the bustling chaos of dinner preparation. It was even crazier than usual today, too- today was the day her oldest brother had come home on a short leave from his serving as an apprentice at a craft guild in Nevassa.

Orland had always told Nyala and Winnie how much he loved being with Nyala's family- his and Winnie's consisted of very few people. Winnie had her parents; Orland had just his mother, who had found this place shortly after her husband was killed by bandits.

The oldest child in Nyala's family was one of her sisters, who was dicing tomatoes at lightning pace while also yelling for Nyala not to forget taking off her shoes over the noise. The Branded girl frowned. She never forgot; she didn't need to be told anyway. Orland read her expression and easily guessed what she was thinking, sighing slightly. Her youngest brother then came careening around the corner, slamming full force into his adopted sister's legs. He wrapped his arms tightly around the girl and was telling a story of how he had chopped celery all by himself with a plastic knife like it was some epic tale of adventure. It was positively cute.

Nyala rumpled the four-year-olds hair and said, "That's spectacular, kiddo! I didn't know you could use a knife like a _big boy!" _overenthusiastically. The boy's eyes shined with pride at her words, and ran off again.

After greeting her two other siblings, Barrett was the last person to stray into the small kitchen. "Hey, Ny. Staying for dinner, Orland?" He asked, even though the answer was always a polite and slightly shy shake of the head. Orland never stayed for dinner, he was too polite to accept. Barrett shrugged as the tradition continued. "Next time, you _will_ stay for dinner." He said jokingly, his eyes narrowing in mock suspicion. Orland grinned, and then made more quick hand movements toward Nyala.

_See. You. Tomorrow._ He explained, and left with a wave without waiting for a response.

"HEY!" Someone shouted loudly from the hallway, where the young girl couldn't see, but that was alright. She knew the voice well. Her brother came sprinting around the corner and into Nyala's line of sight, running at her. Happiness swelled inside of her; she hadn't seen her brother in months, and the house was quieter than normal without him there to yell things. "Nyala!" He yelled, tackling the younger girl and squishing her in a monster hug. Nyala let out a shrill and hugged her brother back; loving him despite the fact he was crushing her ribs. It had been too long since she had gotten a hug like this. Her brother let her down and met her eyes, his a deep brown while his sister's were a clear grey.

"I have something to tell you." He whispered, leaning close to his sister. "I'll tell you after dinner. And don't let me forget." He said, frowning slightly. "Oh, and, don't bring it up around the others, because they can't know what I'm going to tell you."

"Oh, um... okay, sure. Yeah." Nyala replied, confused but happy that she was the only one allowed in on the secret. Her brother nodded and straightened up, the uncharacteristically serious look he had for a minute vanishing in favour of his usual cheery grin. Dinner was then announced by their oldest sister, who was the self-proclaimed head chef of today's feast.

After dinner and all the discussion about anything they hadn't been able to talk about with their oldest brother and son gone, the family was happily chatting around the large table. They all wanted to know different things about their brother, and he was trying to answer questions as fast as possible. Head-chef Sade, the oldest sister, was demanding to know what kind of merchant guilds they had in Nevassa, repeatedly asking about which kinds seemed to travel the most. Nyala's other sister, ten year old Jenia, was asking if any of the horses sold in the capitol were reddish in colour, it was her latest obsession. Her younger brother, four year old Terrill, was asking if his brother could pour him some juice, not really caring that his brother had been somewhere foreign and completely opposite of where they lived.

Nyala, however, remained silent and just listened to her brother answering the questions he was being bombarded with. Her family was being annoying, or at least she would have been annoyed if she were in her brother's position. Kest always had this insanely happy aura around him, and it only made sense. He wasn't the oldest or the youngest, he wasn't Branded, and he had a well-paying job and a loving family. It was only natural he got to be the care-free one while Nyala was seemingly uptight in comparison, which she wasn't. She was just not a ball of undying energy and happiness. Kest didn't seem to notice her silence, and if he did he was simply too smart not to draw attention to it.

Finally, after endless hours of catching up, the family decided it was time to get some sleep and departed for different parts of the household. Nyala, who had been restless all evening thanks to dying to know what her brother wanted to tell her in secret, was bursting with excitement when he said,

"Alright, I know that was a lot of waiting, but hey, what kinda kid would I be if I came him for the first time in months and said "Hi, hello. Yes, very good food, thank you. Nevassa is very nice, yes father, the city is big. Well, I think I'm going to retire to my bedroom after I tell my sister something no one else is allowed to hear! So clear out!" I think that would be al little rude, don't you?" He said, speaking as fast as ever but in a very quiet voice while his sister chuckled happily.

"Anyways, I want to tell you something, so listen up!" Nyala nodded intently as the older boy's expression grew serious for the second time that night. "I met the Dawn Brigade." He breathed, waiting to judge his sister's reaction. Nyala gasped audibly, her eyes growing wide with glee. She idolized the Dawn Brigade, and it was no secret she planned joining them someday. She bounced up and down excitedly on the balls of her feet and started demanding he tell her everything.

"I don't know much." He admitted, hoping not to disappoint his sister. "I saw them in a really small town a while outside Nevassa, it was easy enough to tell it was them, the leader really does have silver hair! It's incredible! And the others in the group were there too, and they looked exactly like they were described! Aw, man, I wish I could have talked to them..."

"But you got to _see_ them!" Nyala shrilled, still bouncing hyperactively. "You're so lucky! I would kill to get to see the Dawn Brigade!" Silence hung in the air after that, but Nyala really wasn't sure why until...

"You want to leave don't you? You and your friends? I know you want to leave here and fight for Daein." Kest said solemnly, not quite meeting the younger girl's eyes anymore. She was taken aback with shock, but regained herself after a brief second.

"Well... yeah, I guess. I and Orland and Winnie all decided we wanted to leave... none of us can stand it here. Everyone says it's so great because we're all like a big family, but there's nowhere to go to get _away _from your family! And, I mean, Winnie doesn't even want to be the new mayor, she doesn't like politics or responsibility or anything, and Orland is just miserable anyways, and he would obviously put coming with us above staying in some stupid nameless town!" Nyala growled, her bottled up frustration breaking the surface.

It was her brother's turn to look shocked now. Even though he knew the restless girl didn't like the place much he hadn't expected her to yell. She never yelled, and especially never at him, and she knew it. Nyala was fuming, though when she became this mad it usually made her come to a sudden halt. She was good at controlling her temper.

Kest knew she needed to leave this town if she'd burst out at him so easily. It was driving her up the wall, and she couldn't stand it any longer.

"I want to leave, Kest." She said, relaxing her face and voice but her hands remaining in tight fists that made her knuckles go white. "You were right, we both know it. How did you find out, anyways?"

Kest stayed quiet for a few seconds, but then launched himself into a short explanation, speaking too fast and tripping over his words. "I saw Winnie today at a town we stopped in while I was coming home. I was just browsing the fair, and I saw her whispering to someone I didn't recognize. She was wearing a cloak that looked like yours, and had the hood up. She was covering her ears.

Nyala sputtered and blinked a few times. "Wh- that's impossible! You saw someone else! Or you're lying completely! You're just trying to get me to tell you something, aren't you?" She growled, her mind filling with suspicious thoughts about her brother, too dominant for her to feel guilty about.

"I'm not lying, Ny." The brown haired boy said calmly, assuring the suspicious girl. "I went up and talked to her, you can ask her. She's not denying it, she asked me to tell you why she was there, even."

The Branded girl did a double take and gasped. "Why was Winnie around Nevassa? Tell me!"

The girl was bursting with both fear and excitement, thinking that her friend sneaking around beorc territory disguising her laguz being meant something was up. Whether it had something to do with herself, she wasn't sure.

"She said she was there to see the Dawn Brigade, but that's all she would say." The taller of the two shrugged. "I guess she somehow heard they were headed there."

"So Winnie was in some town outside the capitol waiting for a glimpse of the Dawn Brigade she somehow knew was coming?"

"...I guess so."

"Are you touched in the head or something?"

"Maybe."

"I'll believe you anyway, because Win wasn't in town at all today, Orland and I looked for her." She said, thinking back. "...Do you think she's... trying to get us into the Dawn Brigade?"

"That was my guess." Her brother nodded. "Oh, wait, I forgot something. She also said she wouldn't be back until tomorrow, and I was to tell her parents some made up lie, which she didn't even supply for me. Think her parents will believe me if I told them she joined a convent?"

Nyala laughed loudly at her brother's joke and shook her head, letting her hair tumble over her shoulders. "I guess we'll have to see, then, won't we?"

Meanwhile in Nevassa, Daein

Bandits. Again. It was becoming a huge issue now, these bandit groups attacking all sorts of places in Daein, from very small merchant wagons to where one particularly notorious team was attacking now: the capital city itself. It was heartbreaking, first losing Daein to the solemn treks of war, but then having its new superiors watching it crumble from the inside out?

The Imperial Occupation Army, who were supposed to be the peacekeepers in Daein were really just a bunch of dim-witted and power-hungry Begnion soldiers who were only around to try and catch the Dawn Brigade, not to help Daein villagers in situations such as this one. Micaiah remembered how bitterly the woman who warmed her and Edward of the attack had laughed when Micaiah asked if the Imperial Occupation Army were helping the situation.

Micaiah, of course, was furious at Begnion's treatment of Daein's residents. If the Occupation Army was human enough to fight for the country they now ruled, the Dawn Brigade wouldn't have to deal almost singlehandedly with all these attacks! And on top of that, every time they needed to help out a town, they had to leave after because they revealed themselves again! That was the hardest part, seeing as they would hear word of the Dawn Brigade being spotted again, but it would absolutely never be a Daein to rat them out. Showing themselves and taking on a group of bandits in the very capitol was going to have them in hiding for months. Yes, it was Begnion soldiers who were _there_ or maybe at least near during bandit attacks but never cared to help. So, to put it simply, Micaiah and the Dawn Brigade constantly risked capture or their life to help citizens who could be helped by those who were supposed to be there to help them. No wonder Sothe was always so agitated, it was simple luck Micaiah had such a calm personality and a wise head on her shoulders to keep her group safe.

The screaming was everywhere, woman were grabbing their children by the hands or waists to pull them into the nearest house or store, the men were all blocking their wives and kids from danger. None drew their swords to these bandits for they had made a name for themselves, and had apparently burned down entire towns within hours and made off with tens of thousands of money in gold in a few short months. The kind of bandit the Dawn Brigade lived to destroy. If they were to restore their country to its former glory, they would do it one terrorizing band of thugs at a time.

The team was shockingly small, really, no more than, what, twenty men?

Edward was already rushing headlong at one, dangerously brandishing his sword in all directions. He knocked over a pile of apples during one of wild swings, but didn't seem to notice. Micaiah smiled to herself and hurried to go help Edward not slay himself accidentally. Yune gave a frightened tweet on her shoulder, reminding Micaiah of her presence.

"It's alright, Yune." She whispered to the bird. "Go find someplace safe for now, it's dangerous here."

Yune tweeted loudly again and fluttered away, leaving Micaiah and Edward alone to fight off the bandits. Sothe, Nolan and Leonardo weren't around, but Leo was supposed to have arrived a while ago; he would show up and help any moment.

Micaiah finally caught up to Edward and immediately began firing off Light spells. It was an overwhelming feeling, casting a spell... the sound of the ancient tongue they were written in was beautiful, and the feeling of the spirits shooting forth, through you, and helping you in your time of need was magical. Sensational. The feeling was simply too hard to describe.

She summoned a Light spell to pierce the nearest bandit, rays from all angles raining down on him repeatedly; striking his heart over and over as he screamed in pain. The hard thing about using Light magic, it was slow to kill. Micaiah flinched in shock and gasped loudly as another axe-wielding maniac came her way; she had been too busy thinking about what it might feel like to be pierced by pure Light to notice him earlier.

He jumped the last few feet to quickly close the distance between and swung his axe downwards with great power, only to see his weapon smash forcibly into the ground and send a painful burst of recoil into his arms and shoulders. He grunted in anger and went for another slow swing in Micaiah's direction. The Maiden knew she had little time to cast a spell before the axe would hit her, so she lithely dodged again quite a bit. She immediately began casting, her fingers starting to tingle where they rested on her tome, only to have to stop abruptly when a tiny flash flew right into the bandit's stomach. A long wooden arrow was now protruding from his blood-covered flesh, and Leonardo was walking calmly towards Micaiah with his bow in hand. Edward was fighting off the last bandit; somehow managing to kill at least twenty in the time it took Micaiah to kill a single one.

"How long have you been here?" Micaiah asked Leonardo breathlessly.

"Only a few seconds, I just helped Edward with some thugs while you fought that one." He replied, absently trailing his pale fingers along his shining bow.

"I wish I had foreseen this," the fortune-teller frowned, "I would have been able to stop more bandits than one. I feel like you and Edward did all the work here."

Leonardo grinned. "Well, we did."

He and Micaiah made their way back to Edward, who had travelled quite a distance due to running and jumping before striking, which he seemed to love doing.

The eager myrmidon rushed to meet them, pink in the face and grinning broadly, knowing he deserved praise for taking on so many bandits singlehandedly.

"That was quite a show, Ed." Leonardo complimented, patting his friend on the back. Edward smiled the kind of smile where all the light in the universe entered his eyes and you simply can't help but smile back. He had a kind face that matched his heart.

Micaiah was brushing dust off her deep red tunic when the blond archer suggested they head back to their base, which they had to pack up now due to exposing themselves in the presence of Begnion soldiers. _Not that it would take long_, Micaiah thought, still trying to beat the settled duct off her well-worn clothes. _There really isn't that much to pack_.

Edward was nodding in approval at Leonardo's suggestion absently, but then his expression darkened a little.

"We have to leave again..." the brown-haired boy trailed off, his brow furrowing. "But Nolan and Sothe aren't back yet."

"Oh no, I forgot!" Micaiah moaned, running her fingers through her shiny silver hair. Her worried tone was a bad sign, not to mention her actually _forgetting _something. The Branded girl was known for her infamous calm among the Dawn Brigade. The leader had become increasingly agitated recently; the pressure of trying to save villagers while being on the run from people whose mission was to kill her wasn't an ideal burden. She sighed. "Let's head back, I guess."

Edward and Leonardo nodded obediently and followed Micaiah, who was still running her fingers through her silver tresses. They knew from experience that a worried Micaiah was not a happy Micaiah, so they didn't ask her any questions they wanted an answer to. Are we going to leave without Sothe and Nolan, or are we going to wait and hope we don't get caught? And for that, the Maiden had no answer.

Instead she forced her brain to come up with ideas, trying to put things together in her head in the most logical solution she could find. Only one Begnion soldier was present at the time, and if he had to report back to his head, he would have to go on a day trip by wagon or a few days walking. It could take only two days for reinforcement to come and capture the Dawn Brigade, unless they were on the move by then. Admittedly, it was plenty of time; but not when you aren't sure when your other members were going to come back to the base. She decided they would wait for as long as they could, even if it meant increasing the risk of getting caught.

Then of course, there was also that laguz girl who was supposed to meet them in three days time in Nevassa... but they simply couldn't wait that long. She'd spoken with the wolf earlier that morning in a town outside Nevassa, but she hadn't planned having to leave so quickly... everything had been ruined in such a short time! There had to be a way to get word to the girl, Winnie, but how? Micaiah had not the slightest idea as to where she lived, and then there was the whole Sothe and Nolan problem. Micaiah, Edward and Leonardo separated from not only Sothe and Nolan but also what could have been three new fighters. If nothing ended up working out right... this could mean the Dawn Brigade would be split up with almost no chance of rejoining, and the Maiden wasn't going to settle for that.


	3. Chapter 2

Hey you. Yeah, you. With the face. You better review this chapter, because I'll know if you don't. Reviews give me energy, so take 2 minutes and help me out :D

Thank you to my reviewers, and a HUGE thank you to Syner for beta reading!

Also, HAPPY SUMMER EVERYONE! FOR ME, EXAMS ARE OVERRRRRR!

Do you know what it's time for? INSIDE JOKE THEATRE!

Cat + Buttered Toast = Flying Cat! (Stolen from a friend)

Soggy Crackers + Revenge = Porridge! (Weird conversations with me and my brother)

Oh, hey, I never do disclaimers, do i? I never remember. Well, I don't own Fire Emblem. I dont make any money writing for Fire Emblem. Only half the plot in this story is my own, but it follows the game's plot. Which I dont own.

Alrighty, chapter starts... NOW!

Chapter 2

"Ny, get up and get packed. We're leaving." Winnie hissed to a groggy and disoriented Nyala.

The younger girl just blinked and brushed away lazily some strand of hair from her face. She had just been woken up by an all-too eager looking laguz hovering over her at an ungodly morning hour and was too tired to even think about how the wolf could have gotten into her house, especially her room.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes before asking in a hoarse voice, "Winnie? What's going on?"

Winnie grinned, all the while making shushing gestures. "You heard me. We're leaving. Ya know why?" Even though it was a rhetorical question, the mage answered quickly.

"The Dawn Brigade, you're getting them to recruit us. We're meeting them at their base in Nevassa."

"Kest told you, didn't he? Damn, I was hoping to get to laugh at your reaction. Anyways, he's right. I've been meeting with them since the first time I ran into them, which I didn't bother to tell you about."

Nyala raised a questioning eyebrow and asked, "And why not?" The laguz girl had always been one to keep secrets, but never had she kept anything big hidden from her friends... why was she starting now? Nyala wondered. It stung her a little.

Winnie's grin faded to a mere tentative smile. "Didn't wanna get your hopes up, Brandy. I know how much you want to leave town, and I think you'd have gone on a rampage or something if you had found out, only to be let down in the end."

Slightly offended, the branded girl replied, "That was pretty deep, even considering your use of the term "rampage" and calling me "Brandy"."

Being called Brandy- the nickname Winnie had been calling her for years because of her Brand- annoyed Nyala to no end. The worst part was that it wasn't really a nickname anymore, the whole town called her that now. Only her family and, of course, herself, still seemed to refer to her by her given name. "Brandy"... it wasn't even creative!

"Either way," The wolf continued, ignoring the other girl's comment. "I met them, talked to them, and know we're joining them, so pack your stuff already."

"This is happening sort of fast though, Win. I mean, I only found out about your little secret meetings yesterday. How many times have you met with them?"

Winnie shrugged. "A couple times, various locations, disguises, the whole bit." The laguz had begun unceremoniously tossing everything her hands touched into a large rucksack Nyala owned as the mage watched her, frowning slightly.

"We're going to Nevassa today then, I suppose? And how are we getting there? Its days of walking on foot, and I can't afford a horse, obviously." The girl questioned as her friend continued to pack for her.

Winnie grinned widely, showing pointed canines. "Why, we're stealing horses! So glad you asked, Brandy!"

"Excuse me!" Nyala cried out loud, her eyes wide. There was no way in Tellius she was going through with that- she couldn't. "Win, you can't be serious! I don't care how many times _you've _done it; you nick them all the time according to Orland! But there is no way on Tellius I am stealing anything... besides food!"

She huffed angrily. Her friend had a talent for cunning; she enjoyed stealing large things (such as people's horses) for a few moments just to see if she could and could usually pull off whatever trick she wanted. Nyala helped her out of the ones she got caught in.

The wolf gave her signature charming grin, amused by the mage's reaction.

"We actually only need one- you and Orland can ride together and I'll be in my halfway form." Winnie mused, watching her friend shake her head, trying to clear it. Winnie was many things, Nyala knew, but she never thought of her as a real thief, just a prankster. What would her parents think? And what would Kest think when he realized his sister left for good to fight and kill at only fifteen?

_I can't go through with this... this is all happening too fast... _she thought, her lips forming a thin line.

Winnie read her face easily and put a comforting arm around her, surprising her. It was unusual of her to do something like that. "Brandy, everyone in Palean knew this would happen someday, especially you. I know this is sudden, but we have to leave when they're not expecting it if we want them not to try and stop us. Not to mention you'll still be fifteen this time next year, and Daein can't wait that long."

Nyala looked up at the wolf, meeting her light brown eyes and solemnly nodding her head. She knew she was being stupid and that Winnie was right, but it still didn't do much to dull the pain of losing her family- and she hadn't even left the house yet. Her friends weren't leaving as many people, the people who wanted her even though she was Branded. The only Branded in the world whose parents and town loved her, that was what she was leaving behind. Winnie didn't understand what it was like. She had everything Nyala didn't, it seemed, they were like opposites. The wolf was charismatic, care-free, loved, and a natural leader on top of being stunningly beautiful all the time.

Short, mouse-brown ringlets that stayed close to her head and springy but were still long enough to blow in the wind, light brown eyes that promised fun and light-hearted times , but could be so serious and truthful as they were right now. She was also very strong physically, being a master fighter and agile and tall and lithe... the list went on forever it seemed. She did have times where she lost her Winnie-like qualities only to be replaced by her other side- the angry one. Sometimes the same things that bothered Nyala bothered her too, but that side most never revealed itself.

Nyala, however, was grossly skinny, with lank black hair and uninteresting features, a gaunt face and heavily lidded eyes. She had olive-toned skin like her mother had, the only adequate proof she had Gallian blood in her. Hard grey eyes that were almost frightening to meet because of their coldness and piercing stare. People often assumed she was a naturally mean person when, really, she was the nicest of her friends. Orland and Winnie both had respective issues, and Winnie often had bad ideas she needed to steer away from, which the mage was glad to help with. She was scrawny, the runt, and worst: incredibly weak. She couldn't cast a decent spell and had no physical power at all. Her only talent was how articulate she was, good at dealing with situations, planning things, and she could keep her temper. It wasn't much to live on, but it had to suffice. Her life, she felt, was like she was always standing in the others' shadows, a mere figment in the background, only to be outshined repeatedly by her brave and interesting companions.

Winnie never seemed to let her forget her place either. She spoke for her, thought for her, decided her every move for her. She spoke for Orland too, even though Nyala knew she knew him better- another one of her scarce talents- she could read people well. It seemed like she was Winnie's pet. To be belittled and ignored constantly ate at her, and she longed for confidence. She never did anything first or better than the wolf. Not only that, but Winnie was rather harsh with her too. She yelled at her if she found out the mage had stayed out late and had completely lost it when Brandy and Orland were attacked by the thieves.

Well if Brandy was her pet... then Nyala wouldn't be. They would be two separate people, one belonging to another, the other strong and confident and powerful. To her, though, she knew that day would never come. The New Nyala was only a dream.

"Fine, sure. Let's pack, and then we'll go steal a horse, and leave. I never want to see this place again."

"Then we leave tonight."

Nevassa, Daein.

The base was really just a rickety old building, and rickety was an understatement. The place barely had a roof; it was more like flimsy material draped over rotting crossbeams. The walls were holed and looked likely to collapse on themselves at any moment, and the floor was but packed with dirt. Sothe had guessed it had been a simple house that had caught fire, using the charred remains of the ceiling for evidence.

Micaiah, Edward and Leonardo entered the base after making sure there were no soldiers left to see them. Feeling down in luck, Micaiah sighed quietly as she slipped into the house and sat in a small wooden chair, which was also slightly burnt. There was no table in the house, so Edward and Leonardo pulled their chairs to form a small triangle with the girl, all facing each other. Nobody said anything. They were all too busy worrying to talk, including the Maiden.

_What if they don't get back in time? When are the other three coming? What are we going to do?_

The questions raced through her mind, expecting answers, but the silver-haired girl had none. Her far-sight didn't help in this situation because she couldn't choose what she saw, and she could only choose when to use it on occasion, when she was strong enough. The rest of the time, she survived off only a sense of impending danger and an idea of how to deal with it.

"Where are they?" Someone asked, and Micaiah looked up at her companions.

"Sorry?" She said, wondering which of her friends asked- she had been too deep in thought to listen.

"Shh!" Leonardo shushed her quickly, making her frown.

"It was someone outside!" He explained in a bare whisper. Everyone sat deadly still and silent. Someone was outside, right there, and they were looking for them. Hardly breathing, they listened to the muted voices. All of them were too frightened to move.

"I know they're around here somewhere." A deeper, second voice said.

"Maybe they're inside." The first voice replied, and Micaiah's heart skipped a beat. The doorknob turned and the Maiden squeezed her eyes shut, wondering why she didn't see this coming and expecting yells of "here they are!" but none came.

"Afternoon." said Nolan, walking into the base. Micaiah's eyes flew open as she wheeled around in her chair as best as possible, considering it had a back on it. She took a deep breath and grinned, relived. She stood and walked up to them, slowing her breathing and unclenching her fist, balled from panic.

"Nolan, Sothe!" She said, beaming at them. "You're back early!"

Sothe nodded. "We didn't expect to be, but we had to leave town early. Begnion soldiers appeared out of nowhere overnight. We had to fight maybe fifteen off by ourselves."

"What?" Asked Leonardo as he and the myrmidon came over to greet the other two men.

"Someone in town must have tipped them off, but the next day they were everywhere. We were forced to leave early." The thief repeated differently, looking at Micaiah instead of the archer. All of them instantly forgot about the scare they just had, intent on learning more from Sothe's story.

"Goddess, and I thought we had trouble!" Edward said, frowning slightly. Sothe raised an eyebrow.

"What happened?" He questioned when Edward didn't bother explaining himself.

"Bandits. Maybe twenty or so, just an hour ago, right here in Nevassa!"

"Damn it. It means we're leaving, then, I suppose?" The three who fought off the bandits all nodded silently. "What about the other three? They're supposed to be here within today or tomorrow."

"I know," The Maiden answered, averting her eyes. "I think... we should stay put for as long as possible, but if they don't arrive by evening tomorrow, we leave." She decided. It was a day long trip, and they were pushing it by hoping they would arrive early.

She went to sit in one of the chairs again, and put her chin in the hand she had propped up on her knee. She knew she had to be the decisive one all the time because she was the leader, but the stress was doing bad things for her mental stability. She only wished she was really as level-headed as everyone saw her.

Leonardo grinned suddenly, turning to Sothe and Nolan. "You scared us to death, by the way." He started, and Edward chuckled. "After running away from Begnion soldiers, we don't exactly want to hear two voices outside our base wondering where we are. Why were you even wondering where we were? Couldn't you just walk in and save us all from heart attacks?"

The two offenders laughed, Sothe's a dark chuckle and Nolan's a loud booming one.

Things lightened considerably up a little after that, and the past day was forgotten in favour of dinner. Micaiah and Leonardo were the only reasonable cooks- Nolan and Sothe didn't have the patience, and Edward either burnt things or undercooked them. Their dinner consisted of bread, cabbage, and the sausage Micaiah heated with a very weak Fire spell. Sausage was considered a treat for them, because meat was expensive. It had been given to them by a young woman whose store had been spared by the team during a bandit raid.

Dinner was eaten quietly, surprisingly calm for a group who could have soldiers burst in upon them at anytime. Well, that was being a bit dramatic. No soldier was stupid enough to come without reinforcements, and the nearest base was a while away. The subject was tentatively brought up after dinner, while the Dawn Brigade sat around a small fire lit in the grate. It provided little warmth in the clammy stone house, but it felt safe.

"So when are those new arrivals coming?" Edward asked no one in particular, staring into the flames. His eyes reflected flickering red light.

"They'll probably leave tomorrow morning and get here by the morning of the day after- which may be too late. The longest I think we can wait is until tomorrow evening. I have a feeling that if the Occupation attacks, it would be at night." Sothe reasoned. The others nodded, straightening up not really looking at each other. Micaiah couldn't help feeling slightly annoyed- hadn't they just been over this an hour ago?

"I guess we'll wait for as long as we can... but we can't cut it too close." replied Edward, shaking his head. "This is eating at me. Either they come or they don't, and it could make such a difference..."

Nobody commented. The frustration level was running high, and nobody wanted to say something they'd regret. Voicing the tension wasn't a very good reliever, it turned out. Micaiah sighed to herself, noticing idly how much she had been doing that lately.

"We should talk about something else." She suggested, smiling. Everyone stared, waiting for her to start. "Any ideas?" Meek laughter followed, but no suggestions.

"We could..." started Leonardo, only to stop when nothing came. "This is hard."

_Talking about something nice shouldn't ever be this difficult, _thought Micaiah with yet another sigh. They were in a rut. If only a miracle would occur. Even Yune was bored- she seemed to fall asleep on her shoulder.

"It's far later than I thought." Micaiah declared, rising to her feet, as did Sothe. "I think I'll sleep for a bit. Nolan's on first shift, right?" She asked.

They did shifts of keeping watch at night in rotating intervals. Who knew what could happen when everyone was in slumber…

"Yep. Until three, then it's Ed." Nolan replied casually. He wasn't as bothered as everyone else, Micaiah could tell. He radiated it nicely; it was good having him around.

"Goodnight, everyone." she smiled and waved, departing the room with Sothe trickling after her.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Sothe. What's bothering you?" she leaned against the door to her room.

"You seem to trust the wolf girl a lot already. How do you know she's even on our side? The laguz helped taking down Daein!" He questioned in a whisper, not bothering to hold back one bit when talking just to her. He didn't appear to want the others to hear his suspicions. Micaiah hesitated. It was a fair question.

"I trust her because I get a good feeling from her." Sothe relaxed completely.

"Why didn't you just say so?"

"...Because I also feel there's something weird going on. Your point was valid- she should hate us, shouldn't she? But I suppose if she was born here, she'd be more likely to side with her country than not... is she? It could easily be either... her friends she claimed are beorc, however, so she must not have anything against us...? There are so many questions. I feel she is not racist in the least, however. She strives for integration, even, I could tell. But what if...?" Her slender fingers, gloved in withered leather, came up to massage her temples. She and Sothe ended up just looking at each other for a minute, knowing how the other was feeling and not needing to talk. The silence hung until Micaiah made a move to open her door.

Sothe nodded and muttered a brief "goodnight" to her before heading back the way he came, presumably to watch the fire again.

Slipping into her room, the maiden attempted to relax, but how could she, while standing in a charred room that had once belonged to a child? The room she was standing in had been a young girl's, without a doubt. Singed handmade dolls and beaded necklaces were scattered around, littering the ashy floor. It smelled of smoke and must. Micaiah couldn't help but feel the lingering remorse in this house the family had left there... it was powerful.

It was times like these that made the Silver-Haired Maiden wary of her gifts. Seeing uncomfortable things in the future was one thing, but being able to sense emotions was another. It could be compared to the talents of the Herons and their ability to look into the hearts of others, only hers wasn't as strong. At times like these, when the... scent... of the emotions was this powerful, it could almost make her feel them too. Some people who didn't know her well said she just had a strong sense of empathy, but she and her friends knew it was another gift from the Goddess to her.

This room belonged to yet another child who was ruined by the war... what did her family do to upset the Occupation Army? Look at a soldier funny? Help a neighbour? Buy bread? Of course, it could have simply been an accident. Maybe something just caught fire and lit the house, and had nothing to do with Begnion's forces. Micaiah had a feeling it did.

The room felt like sorrow and joy, memories, family, and, of course, love.

Absentmindedly, she roamed the room, gathering her scarce items to pack. A thin blanket, a box of matches, a Light tome. There was barely anything to put into her rucksack, which was light-weight and made from jean. Durable and comfortable, it sat high enough on her back to not inconvenience her while running. It was the little things like that that saved her life sometimes- it was so unpredictable, even for a fortune-teller. The time she was cornered in an alleyway with a few Begnion soldiers and had to run into the woods with Sothe after casting a Shine spell was one example.

Her hands rummaged through a small pouch of healing items, looking for an herb. The pouch only held three herbs and a single vulnerary. Granted, the vulnerary had quite a few doses left in it, but they were for emergencies. They would have to survive off herbs if one of them were to be injured. She pulled one out of the bag and pocketed it. Her intuition was telling her she'd need it later.

After procrastinating a while longer, she decided it was time for her to face sleep. She wasn't really tired, and the questions floating in her mind were troubling her. She did feel a little relief that Nolan and Sothe had come back though and it was one less thing to worry about.

Finally she lay down and shut her eyes, sighing deeply and pulling her thin blanket over her. What a day.

Meanwhile, in a town outside Palean.

"This is ridiculous! You'll get caught!" Nyala whined at Winnie's retreating back from her hideout behind a bush. Here she was, in the middle of the night, sitting in a bush with Orland as they watched Winnie commit her first real felony. The start of many, the mage noted, as they would be killing soon. She had never killed before and had never planned to, until the Mad King's War.

She had been almost thirteen then, the cycle of months in the differences in her aging had lined up well there, so in her seventeenth year- three years ago- she was how old a fifteen year old (which she was now) would have been at that time, except for the fact three years ago she was _almost_ thirteen, and now she was just barley fifteen. But it was close. Nonetheless, she was too young to fight in the war at twelve years old, so she never killed anyone.

Watching Winnie sneak closer to the barn made her realize exactly what was already becoming of herself. Sprung from her house in the middle of the night, leaving only a note for Kest and an empty bedroom, void of clothes and tomes. Walked three hours on foot to a farming village none of them knew the name of. Now she was hiding in a bush to steal a horse from an innocent person and make an escape, join a team of the most wanted people in the country, kill soldiers and free their country.

She learned to cope with it last night as she lay awake in bed, fully clothed underneath the covers with a packed backpack under bed. There was so much she was leaving behind- a family of people who wanted her, the safety of the integrated town... she had heard stories of how Branded were treated all through the continent. She had left the only safe place to hide, with a laguz, too. Daein was not a laguz country.

Orland nudged her with his elbow, refocusing her attention to the wolf and the barn. Winnie had wanted to go in as a wolf and create panic, so the farmer wouldn't notice one of his horses was missing as he tried to calm his livestock down. This plan was quickly squashed by Nyala, who insisted that if she stole a horse quietly, there would be no commotion and the rancher wouldn't know of the theft until morning.

So Winnie was quietly sneaking towards the barn, making sure to stay out of line of sight if someone were to look through the window facing their direction. The door creaked as she pulled it open, and Nyala's body sustained a sudden shock of fear. The paranoia of getting caught was inevitable. Winnie paused for a minute to listen if anyone was coming, and after deeming it safe, proceeded to walk into the barn of sleeping animals.

Seconds ticked past in the bushes, where all the two there could do was watch and wait. Nyala had no idea how to wake up a sleeping horse without scaring it, but apparently her friend was willing to try. She was absently tearing a leaf to shreds while giving Orland nervous looks every few seconds, which were always returned by a patient stare that calmed her down for a moment. Several times she could have sworn there was something behind her, or the farmer's door opening, or an angry animal cry.

_Winnie's been in there a while now... _her mind informed her. The panic manifested itself even more as the wolf didn't come out. It had been nearly fifteen minutes now. Was she in there, frozen with fear? Was the horse refusing to move? Was she even okay? There were other questions too. What if we get caught? What if we're seen? What will happen when my family realizes I'm not home, nor Orland, nor Winnie?

She ran her fingers repeatedly through her hair until Orland placed a hand on her arm, attempting to calm her. For once, it didn't. She began panicking.

"Orland. I can't do this. We'll get caught, and I don't think I can handle killing anyone, if I even survive that long. Why am I even here? I can't fight! I can't steal, and I can't survive like the Dawn Brigade does. I've never done anything like this before- you and Win can pull through, but not me. I'm young, I'm weak, and I'm a bloody _coward. _I'm scared, Orland! I can't do this!" She cried, wrapping her arms around herself, as in to hold herself together. It was all too true. _What had we been thinking? We can't just walk off into the real world and expect to learn how it's done. We've no experience. _It all came crashing down on her, realization pouring in. This was stupid. Nobody could do this- except for maybe her friends. They were strong and smart and quick, but she was weak and a coward. Nyala the Brave was a fairytale, but Brandy was just all too real.

Orland was shaking his head, desperately trying to tell her she was wrong. _He _thought she could make it, but what were his thoughts compared to the ones of who knew her best? He insisted that she was wrong. His eyes were asking her to try. Since when had he had so much confidence in her? She was better friends with him than Winnie, but she hadn't known he really cared for her... but now... she could feel it. It was in his face, his eyes, around him like an aura. She had always had a keen sense on how people were feeling, but never had it been this strong. This was something else- no longer a sensitivity to emotion, but a power. Something new. She could tell how he was feeling without trying or looking to deep. Meeting his eyes for the first time in the silence that followed her outburst, she smiled a little.

He really didn't want her to leave, he valued her friendship... and he thought she was strong. A strange warmness flooded her body as she smiled wider. Orland looked confused, he was watching the emotions flit across the Branded's face with a signature raised eyebrow. She could feel his confusion at her mood swings too.

"Orland- this is weird. I can... tell how you're feeling really easily. You may as well be talking." She breathed, fearing his reaction while trying to contain her excitement. The older of the two shook his head, frowning.

"You know, like how I've always been told it's like I can read people's minds!" Her eyes were wide with amazement at the sensation, but then, it started to fade. The power was slowly dying out, getting weaker and sorrier as quickly as it had came. It was so sudden... it just came and left before she could even register what was happening...

"It's... gone now." She mumbled, beginning to run her fingers through her hair again. "I swear, for a minute I could tell exactly how you felt and what your emotions were, but now it's back to how it usually is- it feels like a guess again." Curiosity overwhelmed her, but she was so excited she was grinning to herself and bouncing on the balls of her feet slightly, making her ankles ache. Orland remained straight-faced as he nodded his head, telling Nyala he believed her. As usual, he didn't have much else to say. He didn't seem to like coping with mood swings.

This new power posed a question, however.

She was debating back in forth in her mind by this point: leave or stay? If she went back, she wouldn't have to miss her family and town, wouldn't have to fight, worry about getting killed, and could safely rest in the comfort of her own home never knowing what became of her only friends. If she stayed, it was a bit more of a dilemma; she risked death every day, but could be with her friends and take her country back. She was weighed down by pros and cons, her heart pulsing at the thought of death, and in a state of confusion brought on by life questions having to be decided all at once. So many contributing factors; her nonexistent fighting skill, her surviving skills, her tact, her friends, her life, her family, her guilt, her worry, her inexperience, her fear, her decision.

She was already grieving the loss of her family and safety, and her paranoia was creeping back to her. Orland was slowly shaking his head as he watched her face change yet again.

_That's it, I have to go back._

All of the sudden, the barn door creaked open and caught Nyala off guard; she squeaked and flinched. Orland coughed a chuckle. Light from the barn flooded into the darkness of the surrounding, and a large, unidentifiable silhouette appeared from the light. Winnie emerged sluggishly, and apparently walking backwards. After emerging fully, Nyala could see she was leading something- she had gotten a horse. She had it by a rope, maybe tied onto its saddle, and was tugging on the resisting silhouette. Finally, a smallish horse trotted out of the barn, whose door was quickly shut by the wolf-girl.

Nyala and Orland breathed sighs of relief as Winnie and the animal shuffled towards them. Winnie was grinning devilishly and awaiting praise. She really was incredible.

"Amazing. How on Tellius did you pull that one off?" muttered Nyala, still trying to remain quiet. Apparently not everything was impossible as she had thought... not that it made a difference. Outside her head, the wolf chuckled.

"Don't you listen to a thing I say? I'm magic." Her hands carved an imaginary rainbow into the air before her. Apparently, that was all she had to say. No bragging? "Now let's go- this horse doesn't seem to like me much, it keeps biting at me."

They lead the horse farther into the woods before getting on- Nyala secretly debating back and forth with herself as she walked further and further away from the direction of home- so no one would see any movement by any chance they were to look out the window. Orland climbed on first, extending a hand to help the Branded girl on afterwards. His eyes purposely flashed something easy for her to read-don't run. She froze, panicking mentally. Something then compelled her to get on the horse, though. Was it the way she knew Orland wanted her there? Or was it how she learned there was finally something she had- that emotion reading- that no one else did? Against the dark side of her mind's protests, she took his hand and allowed herself to be led into a point of no return. Her mind shouted different things at her.

The horse was either black or dark brown, but it was too dark to tell at the moment. Short mane, white stripe down its muzzle, and well built for heavy loads. Nyala had never had horses on her farm back home (her heart ached at the thought of Palean) because Barrett's farm was solely for crops. She had always liked the look of them and had ridden them before, but they still frightened her a little, like so many things did. She wasn't very fond of being up high, falling off, or sudden movements, which basically summed up what riding a horse entailed. Sitting securely behind Orland, who was good with animals, she watched as Winnie transformed.

Her transformations were beautiful. She involuntarily threw her head back and howled a low note towards the moon, the haunting moan filling the air and echoing off trees. Sleek brown fur burst from her every pore as her fingernails shot into curved claws and face grew long and doglike. Collapsing onto all fours, she nodded once up at them and led the way, confident in her directional skills. Trying not to feel envious of her grace and beauty, Nyala could only sit as the horse followed suit on Orland's commands.

The walk was silent. Unable to talk in her half form, Winnie just trotted in the lead, occasionally sniffing the ground. Orland obviously didn't say anything. The horse certainly didn't. And so Nyala sat in silence, torn.

XXX

3 hours later

XXX

This was only the beginning, and yet Nyala already found herself in that place. That place was the dark little room in her mind, telling her she was wrong. Right now, she was at its mercy as it kicked her and beat her, insulting her restlessly until she was on the edge of tears.

_You should be home. You're a coward, not a fighter. You aren't Winnie. What were you thinking? Can you imagine how crushed Barrett and Kest will be when they wake up and your bed is empty? You acted on a whim, trying to prove you are braver than you are by agreeing to this. You didn't think to stop and respect how safe you were and how well you had it at home. You're fifteen and Branded. Why didn't you think this through? _

Over and over, her dark room kicked her while she held her face in her hands, wishing it weren't true. All of these things twisted in her chest until she felt sick with fear and guilt. It was too late to turn back.

It was maybe three marks past midnight now, and her twisted chest had been stifled into a dull throb. She cleared her mind of bad thoughts and her eyes of tears, putting on her brave face again, no matter how she felt inside. Showing emotions wasn't weak, she knew, but it didn't make anything better, did it?

Unexpectedly, Winnie came to a stop and shifted back to her beorc form, and turned to face her friends. Orland had seemed perfectly alert the whole ride, or at least flawlessly hiding three hours boredom. They waited for her to speak.

"I think we should rest for a while, we need energy for tomorrow. If we sleep for three marks, the sun will wake me up and we'll keep going. If I'm right, we'll make it to Nevassa by sundown tomorrow- or rather, today, considering it's technically morning."

Groaning and stretching, the two got off their horse, which immediately found a tree to lie under.

Nyala never thought sleep could be such a wonderful thing as it was now- she craved every minute of it and was greedy for some. Even if it was to come in the form of under a tree with an angry horse that had nipped at her, it was still better than nothing by far.

"Mean horse you stole, Win." she muttered, not letting any of her inner emotions leak into her conversation. Winnie chuckled and stretched out near her, putting Nyala between her and Orland, who was staring at the cloudy sky.

"I imagine I'd be pretty peeved if I were stolen by someone I don't know in the dead of night and forced to walk miles in the cold with lots of weight on my back." she joked, giving her horse a sorry look.

"Never thought about it that way. What are you going to call it?"

"Easy! I dub her Miss Winnie the Second!" she proclaimed, grinning.

"Firstly, Miss Winnie, it's male. Secondly, Winnie is a terrible name for a horse; it's like calling a dog Bark or something."

Winnie the First laughed a little too loudly for the magnitude of the joke, which was quite low, and didn't stop for a while. Nyala smiled privately to herself- laughing must've felt good right then.

Woo, that was LOTS of typing! So? Good? Bad? Wanna break my wrists so I can never write again? Or maybe tell me you're leaving for vegas with your new true love by tying a note to my cat and hanging it from the ceiling for me to find after you're already long gone?

Also, review! I know how many of you just hit the back button, but reviews take like, 5 minutes and help me out a lot! I feed off them :K people who review every chapter are appreciated. Criticism is loved! :D

Out of muffins. Does anyone like omelettes?


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello again! Thank you to my reviewers and to Syner for beta reading, as usual!

Does anybody even read Inside Joke Theatre? Probably not.

"Name a wooden instrument."

"WOODEN FLUTE! BONGOS! DIGEREEDOOS!"

"Guitar!"

"Why didn't we think of that?"

Oh, right, disclaimer. No, Fire Emblem and the characters who aren't OCs do not belong to me.

Also, I didn't fail any courses this year! Yay! Um, not that I ever did before, just so we're clear.

Here is Chapter 3. Please ignore the fact that I'm too lazy to title them properly.

ENJOY AND REVIEW!

Oh, and, one last thing. Chappie is long and important. Lots of plot introductions here, so the DB will take a while to show. Be patient! :D Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Kest was repeatedly running his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit he picked up from his younger, adopted sister.

It was another thing that made it hard to get her off his mind. He hadn't stopped panicking since he read the note she'd left him, which he'd found tucked under the oil lamp in her room, now in his pocket, creases withering from being unfolded constantly. He re-read it over and over, staring at it and flipping it between his fingers and not showing anyone else.

He memorized the words from reading them, and imagined her writing the words blindly in the dark. Her scrawl was messy as ever, but the words were legible enough.

_Kest, it's happened. Win and Orland and I are leaving, and we'll be gone by the time you read this. I can't believe we only talked about this last night, but it was being planned for weeks. We have everything we'll need, I've made sure. Don't worry about us, I promise I'll try my best to be safe. You can trust my friends. I love you, and I miss you already. Make sure my family knows how much they mean to me. Goodbye. _

He knew he should show at least his father, but he couldn't. His father would not understand, for he didn't know of Nyala's desire as strongly as he did. He would have to tell him, of course, it would be terribly wrong to keep such a secret from someone who deserves to know, but the note was his only.

Kest knew he'd try something, anything, to get her back home, even if it was reckless and stupid, which pretty much summed up walking alone through the country filled with enemy soldiers. He would be picked off easily and mercilessly. When Kest told him Nyala was missing and why, he had kept his calm in front of the younger children while Sade explained to them that their sister would be away for a while. When they were alone in the kitchen, however, there was yelling and panicking. Rage and fear. His father insisted he should go find her, but Kest forbid it.

Angrily sitting across his father, he hissed, "Use your common sense!" earning a look of betrayal from the man. "Please. If you take off now and don't come back... you can't do that to your kids! Jenia's old enough to know what's going on, you know she's as scared as we are!" Barrett looked up at him, piercing him with an icy stare. He took a deep breath. "Father, please. Nyala is safe with her friends. Trust her, father, she'll be alright." He begged shamelessly, hoping for his father to understand. He just had to. Barrett continued staring at his son, less coldly now and deep in thought.

"Kest... she's too young. I want you to get her back. It's an order."

The words stung him, hearing his father use such a rough but heartbreaking tone... his voice was commanding, but his eyes were begging. Kest felt his heart drop painfully, averting his father's eyes subconsciously.

He had to go, he knew, but how could he bring home his sister? He knew it wasn't going to happen; he had to disobey his father. The answer was obvious- he would help Nyala fight. It was kind of the same as what his father wanted in a way, wasn't it? To keep her safe? But lying and betraying his father's wishes to do so... and what would Ny say when he showed up? His mind was made up though- he would side with his sister who trusted him so much. He smiled a little.

"Yes father, I will make sure she is safe." He whispered, hands on his father's shoulders. He was acting on a whim, he knew, and he hadn't a clue on how to find his sister. Barrett looked up at him, eyes unreadable.

"Thank you, son. Take Sade with you, she's an excellent fighter." Oh, damn. If Sade came, it would ruin everything! She didn't know about Nyala even _joining_ the Dawn Brigade, she just thought she was missing! And if they saw her, she'd be taken straight back home, and he would be an even bigger traitor!

_I can't let that happen... everything she worked for..._

"No, father, you need her at home. She's like a mom to Jenia and Terry! How will they feel when three of their siblings disappear? And it would lower the family's income dram-"

"Kest, your concern is not necessary. You will take Sade with you and find my daughter. Please, son, you know how important this is to me, and if you're alone in this country you die. You need to be safe, too." His heart pumped faster as he fumbled in his mind for anything that could change his father's mind, but when he saw the fear in his father's eyes behind the mask of determination, he knew he lost. He was cornered. His head lowered and he breathed a deep breath.

"Yes father."

But inside, he was thinking, _I'm sorry Nyala, I tried. _

XXX

"Cloak? Blankets? Canteen? Oil lamp? Damn, where'd it go? I reckon Nyala took it..." Sade was marching proudly around the house, head held high in fearlessness as she was named leader of this quest to bring back their missing sister. Calling out items as she went through her mental list, her brother was solemnly checking if they were packed. His guilt hung like a willow everywhere he went, bent on reminding him on what he was setting off to do.

He was agitated and edgy, but was trying to remain calm with his sister- it would do no good to make her angry when she didn't know what she had done wrong. His dark brown hair was messed from clawing at it with his fingers, and his face was slightly flushed from frustration. He was a monster. His sister trusted him so much, and after only a few hours, he would be part of the party to get her caught.

There had been a brief town meeting regarding the missing children- Kest had almost forgotten that other townsfolk had missing family too- and lots of the younger villagers stepped up, declaring they were suited for bringing back their fearless friend Winnie. They didn't seem as concerned for the Branded girl or Orland as they did for their socialite heir. In the end, most were declared too young to be allowed to venture off, leaving only Kest and his sister in the end. He didn't mind attending the meeting- he actually purposely dragged it out for as long as possible. Even precious few minutes could be used for his younger sister to get farther and farther away.

Sade was the exact opposite, trying to hurry everything along and set off, which was why she was now throwing things to her brother instead of handing them to him. He knew she was every bit as concerned as her father was, she just showed it in a different way, and that was becoming the leader and getting things done.

"Finished! We're good to go, Kest. The sooner, the better!" She grinned, fixing the last buckles of her rucksack. "I have a feeling she'd be headed north, to the capital. She always wanted to go there, right? And she heard you talking about how great it was." He knew he should be trying to drive her away from her spot-on intuition, but she had run out of the room before he could do anything. He knew she wouldn't listen anyways; after all, she was in charge.

She called for him again, her voice further away this time, and he rose slowly. There was no turning back now...

He stepped out into cold mid-morning air, a sharp breeze meeting his arms and face in stingy bursts. Two horses stood a few feet away. They were given to the two travelers during the town meeting, gifts from the local ranchers, even though none of their kids were the ones gone. They all seemed to think they were heroes or something, giving them things and beaming up at them in awe and respect... Kest certainly didn't feel like a hero.

Sade wasted no time in climbing onto her horse, waving down at her friends below. She leaned down to hug her father, bid him farewell until next time, which she planned to be a few days later.

She reflected her borrowed horse (a female Chestnut named Arwyn) exactly, Kest noticed, in lots of ways. They had the same long, wavy dark hair and probing chocolate coloured eyes, an elegant, comforting face and long, powerful legs. She was a princess and an overworked peasant all at once. She and her horse also had the same air about them- they were calm and majestic, fearless and ready. Sade was a good person, no doubt about it. Sweet and motherly, helpful and loved amongst everyone, but sometimes impatient and scolding.

"Come on, Kestrel, we have to get to Nevassa before dark." Ignoring the chuckles from the villagers at use if his full name, he too swiftly climbed onto his horse's back. His was mostly white, with a black muzzle and feet, and by the name of Lyik.

"Before dark? We can't make it there in only hours- it's a day trip!" Fear flooded him as he only realized her words after he spoke.

"Not on horses, and these ones can run for miles! We'll make it to Nevassa around sunset." _Same as Nyala... everything would be timed perfectly... she doesn't have a chance..._

The friends he didn't even have time to catch up with were patting him on the back and wishing him luck in finding his sister. He put on his best tragic face.

"Bye, everyone." He waved, attempting palely to shift his expression to hopeful and determined. His words were met with wishes of luck and safe traveling and rushed goodbyes, also directed at his older sister.

"Alright, we're off!" She said, nudging her horse with her calves, getting it to walking pace. Kest followed her, trotting off towards the woods he knew Nyala vanished from hours earlier. He wasn't really sad to be leaving, again, but he did wish he could have spent more time back home. Weighed down by concerns, he barely noticed Sade picking up the speed to a healthy run, which he had no choice but to mimic.

The inevitability of meeting his runaway sister was almost tragic. Her dreams would be ruined so easily... and there was nothing he could do... he failed her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"_Oh, Cecilia! She's so beautiful!" Cooed Winnie, stroking the cheek of the child in her friend's arms. The former cat laguz, now essentially a beorc, beamed down proudly at her baby girl, wrapped tight in the blankets Winnie made for her as a gift. _

"_What's her name? Oh shush, I _know_ they're announcing it in the square, they always do! But I'm your best friend, I have to know first!" _

_Cecilia laughed at that. _

"_When did you decide that? I'm old enough to be your mom!" She questioned, lightly punching the younger girl's arm._

_Winnie huffed. "You're only older by..." She stopped to calculate for a moment."... ten beorc years! I'd be thirteen and you'd be twenty-three, right? This would be easier if they just aged like us."_

_Still laughing, Cecilia drew her chair as close as possible to the wolf's._

"_Well best friend, I suppose you do get the privilege of hearing her name, but you can't tell anyone. Only Nifco and Corrah know so far." She obliged, grinning and shaking her head still. _

_She cupped a hand around the other girl's ear and whispered, as not to let anyone else hear beforehand._

"_Nyala."_

_Winnie squealed a little. "The ancient tongue word for "unity"! That's perfect, Cess! It makes sense."_

"_I know!" Her friend chuckled, and Winnie resumed stroking the newborn's velvet face. Neither of them spoke for a little while after, simply admiring the beauty of the sleeping baby girl. Suddenly, loud and uneven footsteps sounded in the hallway, headed towards the nursery the two girls were in. _

_A small head poked around the door frame, and squealed with glee. _

"_Auntie Winnie!" She shouted, throwing herself into the wolf's arms and squeezing her tight around her waist. Winnie ruffled the girl's bright orange hair in response._

"_Aunt? I'm barely older than you, kid!" She joked, picking the giggling kid up and sitting her on her lap. _

_Cecilia snorted. "You seem to be a little controversial regarding your age, there, Win." She teased, lightly jabbing her in the side, making her give a sort of spastic flail. It also earned her a look that promised certain death. Winnie was not one to be poked._

"_You're lucky I'm holding the squirt, here, or you'd pay for that." She chuckled darkly. That caught the attention of the girl she was holding, who stood up on Winnie's lap (digging her shoes into the wolf's thighs in the process) and looked her straight in the eye. _

"_I'm not a squirt." She huffed indignantly, not breaking eye contact. Despite their desires, Cecilia and Winnie both burst out laughing, hugging the girl tightly. _

Damn her adorableness. _Thought Winnie, brushing tears of laughter from her eyes. Her sides felt ready to explode from laughing pains._

"_You know Corrah, for a four year old, you sure are... opinionated." Winnie gasped, drawing another burst of laughter from her friend. Corrah smiled proudly. Winnie doubted she really knew what she meant, but that was okay. As long as she was happy. _

_She loved Corrah like a little sister and Cecilia like an older one. Now that Nyala was born, she could be big sister to another girl, too. She already loved her, with her soft face and the dark green Brand that stood out so shamelessly on her shoulder. She would do whatever it would take to protect her. _

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Perfect timing! We should make it there by sunset!" She called, twisting around from her position in the lead to view her friends.

She had taken a break from walking in her half-wolf form after a particularly thick twig jammed itself into her front paw- now her bleeding left hand. Shifting back was more dignified than limping, she's said. Despite her minor injury, Nyala was thrilled to have her human again. Her chatter filled the aching silence, driving painful thoughts from her mind and boredom from the journey. She never seemed to lose confidence in her sense of direction, either. She just walked straight, endlessly.

For a while after she shifted back into her human form, Nyala could easily tell she was lost in thought. Thoughts of what, she didn't know. All she could see was the glassy look in her eyes and the twitching of her lips, something that happened to her when she was upset by something.

Intrigued, she spent a few moments pondering whether or not she should ask what was wrong, but decided that if it concerned her, she'd have been told already. Winnie came to after a few moments, bright as usual and showing no signs that anything was wrong at all. Despite being curious, Nyala chose to leave it alone.

She let her own mind stray after a while, just for something to do. Being focused and aware all the time made her restless and mildly paranoid.

It was late afternoon, the Branded had guessed, using the sun- what she could make of it behind the thick wall of winter clouds, that is- as a compass and clock.

The scarlet rays of the late sun shattered against the uneven frost, and the forest was alive with glitter. Icy blue pines stood stagnant in the absent winds, watching the travelers pass.

To Nyala, the forest was always a place of fun and laughter, memories and nostalgia, somewhere to go when you needed to get out. Today, it was like a cage. It made her fate inescapable, and her heart claustrophobic. If it weren't for Winnie's voice to help her regain her sanity after hours of silence, she knew she would have gone mad. She hadn't the faintest idea on how Orland didn't himself. He was as deathly calm and composed as ever, which sort of made sense. Winnie was in a great mood again, (after her mysterious bout of agitation) finally getting was she wanted for so long- an escape. Orland was in a silently happy mood, because he wanted to go too, which meant...

_It's me in the unusual mood. Of course they're both thrilled, they were sure of what they wanted. Brilliant. _

Of course, despite her fears and regrets, she couldn't lie to herself. They were only short hours away from meeting the Dawn Brigade. Her heroes, her idols, her obsession. And she was not only going to fight among them... she was going to be _part_ of them.

Slowly falling into a state of nervous excitement, she, for once, forgot her troubles for a moment, just to bask in the joy.

She hummed softly and stroked Miss Winnie the Second (whose name really did need be changed soon) behind the ears and twisted round to see how Orland was fairing. He still looked unfazed as ever, but smiled back at the girl. Somewhere up ahead, Winnie was still chattering away to nobody.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sunset, and Micaiah was agitated. She constantly shot eager and nervous glances towards the windows, hoping for some sign that the wolf-girl and her company were coming. She had been doing this since well before the sun began to set, and her friends were trying hard to distract her for at least a few minutes. Edward suggested she pack her things, but she already had, and Leonardo made tea, but she didn't want any. She was grateful for their efforts, but she knew they were futile, and eventually, they came to the same conclusion.

"Micaiah, you've been staring out that window for the better part of two hours." Sothe sighed, somehow appearing beside her without her seeing. She sighed too.

"They'll be here any minute now. I think. I can feel _something_ like a presence, but it comes and goes in waves... but it's been getting stronger, and I think it just may be here shortly. I hope it's them and not someone else."

Composed and thoughtful on the outside, banging her head against a wall on the inside. This feeling of presence was driving her insane. It's as if a little voice in her head kept telling her, _not yet, not yet, not yet, _every time she asked when it would arrive.

Being so restless and anticipating something that may never arrive, one can only imagine the way her heart lurched when Leonardo claimed he saw figures heading this way.

"Three of them, it looks like." He said, squinting into the distance, the edge of the forest. Almost knocking her stool over as she bolted upright in haste, she hurried to her friend's side at the window. The others crowded behind them for a look, but she barely noticed. Three shaded figures, no, four- they had a horse trotting behind them- emerged from the cover of the pine trees and into open air, and into the view of the inhabitants of the base.

Puffing a long breath of relief, she sank back into her stool and smiled. The images in her head showed that they were indeed what she was waiting for. Excitement flooded through her as they drew ever nearer, lead by Winnie herself. Micaiah'd made sure to give her flawless directions and a description of the base.

When they were decently close, Micaiah stepped outside to greet them, tailed by her comrades, who fanned out to stand in a line with the Maiden in the middle. A welcoming smile spread across her soft face as Winnie raised a hand in acknowledgement. One of the figures, the smallest, was clutching the wolf above the elbow, visibly bouncing on the balls of her feet, whipping her head between her friend and Micaiah. She couldn't hear what she was saying.

Their faces came into view. Winnie was in the centre, with her dark-skinned face and untamed ringlets framing it. Her hood was lowered for the first time since they'd met, and Micaiah could see the pointed ears of a dog poking through her curls.

A boy barely shorter than Winnie was to her left. He had an angular, pale face and a curtain of equally pale hair. Though dressed in the signature colour of a thunder mage, he had a Heal staff strapped across his back. He was also the one guiding their horse.

The third figure, the one who had Winnie's elbow in her clutch, was small and wearing a thin traveling cloak of deep blue that concealed whatever she wore underneath. With no visible weapons, it was impossible to tell how she fought. Blue was a rare colour for fighters, not many mages nor combatants wore it as far as Micaiah was concerned. She had a gaunt, shallow face and hair of simple black. She looked young, very young, triggering thoughts about if she were maybe a thief or rogue. Her age reflected not enough time to master any weaponry, not to mention she had the size and general appearance to be the kind with knives hidden within her cloak.

"Winnie!" The silver-haired girl said, stepping forward and holding out her hand. Grinning, the wolf clasped it, her hand warm and her grip firm to an almost painful degree.

"Pleasure seeing you again, Micaiah!" She said, releasing the girl's hand. "Thank you for this; you can't imagine our excitement at being part of Daein's liberation- which, trust me, will happen."

"The pleasure's all mine. How about introductions? I'm afraid I don't know your friend's names."

"Of course." The way she spoke... she was almost controlling. She seemed a little tense, even though her body didn't show it. A force to be reckoned with, she came off as through her voice, but in a polite way. Almost like a politician, or a noble. Was she an important figure? Either way, it gave Micaiah a feeling of comfort she couldn't quite explain.

"This," The wolf started, gesturing to the boy, "is Orland." What he did next confused Micaiah, to put it simply. He put his hands together as in prayer, and for a moment it looked as though he was going to bow, formal Goldoan style. Instead, his hands hinged at his end fingers, opening and revealing his palms. Winnie appeared to be as confused as anyone else, only she looked more like she was figuring something out.

"Oh, not book, story!" She concluded, glancing at him for confirmation. He nodded. Still waiting for an explanation, the Maiden noticed the slightest of sighs emit from the small cloaked girl.

"Orland wants me to tell you his story, that's what the gesture meant. Like opening a book, you know?" The wolf started, making the same gesture as Orland, only this time it made sense. Frowns crossed the faces of the Dawn Brigade, however. Not speaking was a strange and uncommon thing, usually viewed by prejudiced people as a curse or punishment. It wasn't like they themselves believed it, they were just curious.

Seemingly taking notice of the wondering looks, Winnie continued her explanation.

"A couple years back, he was attacked by bandits who- well, not really bandits, more like thieves... you know, the swift, lethal kind, I guess... anyways, they attacked him and he took a dagger to the throat. It was Brandy here," She waved towards the dark girl, "who took him back to our healers. She was there, see, but she didn't get hurt as bad."

_Thieves, how terrible! Even young children weren't safe from them! _She thought, aghast at how low some people had gone to fulfill their selfish needs. She had dealt with thieves of all sorts, of course, Sothe was one himself, but never would he harm a kid! She couldn't curb the anger that rose at hearing that.

Something else that bothered her though, was the way Winnie told of Brandy being there, too... it almost sounded as though she had meant to avoid it. Was she lying? Or did she want to deny the girl's involvement? It was the first time in so long that someone had stumped her. She was definitely having a problem trying to read this wolf.

_Stop being critical, _her mindordered. _It isn't your business._

"Which brings us to Brandy!" Winnie was saying, drawing Micaiah back into the conversation. The girl, Brandy, began shifting her weight between her feet uncomfortably. This one was an open book; the Maiden could easily tell her nervousness and diversion to speaking in public. It was safe to assume Winnie did most of the talking.

'Um... everyone just calls me Brandy." She stuttered over a few words, looking more and more uneasy by the second. Her voice was low and barely audible. She was still gripping the wolf girl's arm, her fingers digging into the flesh. Though choosing not to voice it, Micaiah wondered what her real name was. She decided that it would be best to ask her when she was alone, or had warmed up to the group.

"I'm a dark mage." Another revelation. That explained why she carried no visible weapons, and for magically talented people, spells took less time to perfect than any weapon. That was also why she wore the deep blue robes- it was the signature colour of dark mages.

Still looking shy and nervous, she continued as Micaiah gave her an encouraging smile. However, she abruptly cut herself of no less than halfway through the first word, glancing up at her laguz companion. There was something she wanted to know, like she was silently asking a question. Winnie also seemed to understand, and nodded once.

"Yeah, you can tell them, if you want. Everything." The wolf said with a casual wave of her hand. Brandy raised an eyebrow momentarily in response, wanting to know if Winnie was sure. About what, the Maiden didn't know.

"Um... can you?" Muttered the mage, casting her gaze towards the ground. Her thought patterns suggested she'd never been in such a position. Micaiah couldn't help feeling slightly guilty, because it was her and her friends that were intimidating her. None of her friends had even had the chance to introduce themselves yet, and she was already scared of speaking before them.

Winnie seemed to find it more amusing, and gave a short, loud laugh.

"She doesn't like speaking around people at all; I swear to the Goddess it isn't your fault! She's just nervous around you guys 'cause she likes you, if that makes sense." Brandy was hiding her face as the girl spoke, scuffing her boot on the dusty ground.

"I see." Said Micaiah, trying to give a reassuring smile the mage didn't see. "We are honoured to have you by our side, so please, don't be nervous! You're a friend now." A slightly flushed Brandy peeked up from under her hair, nodding slowly. She was trying to stop being how she was, and building courage to present herself properly was one step toward the right direction. The Maiden had to admire her will to try.

Suddenly remembering that they had something to tell them, the silver haired girl asked them about it.

"We wanted to tell you where we're from," Started Winnie, "and about why we- did you hear that?" She asked suddenly, her pointed ears pricking. A frown drew across her features as she tried to catch the sound again. Nobody else had heard anything though, and they were now exchanging confused looks.

Then, Winnie's eyes widened and she gasped, startling everyone.

Something bad was happening, something the Maiden didn't foresee...

"Get inside!" She hissed, ushering Brandy in front of her. Whatever it was, it was urgent, a wave of fear crashed in Micaiah's stomach. Following suit after the wolf, she also began to rush the others into the base.

"Orland, send off the horse." Commanded the laguz while giving Brandy a rather hard shove towards the door. The girl seemed rooted to the spot. Within a matter of seconds, the entire group was behind the closed door, demanding to know what was going on. There was a knot in Micaiah's stomach, and she wanted to know more than anyone else, because she had no indication of any event in the future. She couldn't see everything, of course, but missing something that caused so much panic?

"Oh, Goddess, they're getter closer!" Winnie muttered, eyes wide and ablaze with mixed emotions. Now they were so vivid, they were easy to understand - fear, mainly, with a strong sense of resentment and sorrow. She felt like she had done something wrong... led her friends into danger...

_Danger_. The moment the word sounded in her mind, a familiar sound filled the cold air. Hooves, many of them, had broken out of the soft forest flooring and were now thundering across the harder, rockier ground. The forest only broke a few hundred meters from the base, which meant the horses were close.

And it was obvious who was riding the horses. It was the reason they wanted to leave Nevassa by now. The Begnion Occupation Army had found them, and they were going to attack.

The instinct to protect snapped on inside Micaiah's head, and her brain flicked into defence mode.

"Soldiers!" She cried. "Get down, everyone, and ready weapons. We have to fight!" It was the only option, they had no choice, and oh, Goddess, she was so sorry, but there was no way out. They were being charged.

"Dammit!" Cursed Sothe, as he slid a long, slender dagger named Kard from his belt. He was angry, she knew, at having the events come to play like this and not be ready; he had being relying too much on Micaiah's visions. Edward was giving himself a quiet pep talk, holding a sword in each hand, and Nolan was wiping dust off his steel axe, gaunt but ready. Leonardo and Orland both looked simply calm, stony-faced and trying to keep silent. Brandy wasn't looking so serene. Pale and twitchy, she sat with her back against the door, a tome clutched in little fingers and her shoulder being grasped by Orland, attempting to soothe her.

The strangest, though, was Winnie. She did look frightened as the rest, but her ruling demeanour was not lost in it. Her head was high and her shoulders back, but there was, as usual, something about her the Maiden couldn't place. There was something else in that fear.

The thundering was growing ever louder now, until the remaining beams in the house were rattling precariously.

Muttering a quick prayer for help, Micaiah peered out the window, and her worst fears proved true. Soldiers, maybe ten of them, were headed straight for the hut, with two in the front to lead the assault. Winnie was at her side, just barely peeking around the frame for a moment, before ducking again.

_I'm so sorry I got you into this..._ She thought, as though Winnie and her company could hear her. Useless, but all she could do at the moment. If they were captured, they would be imprisoned, hanged even, and her stomach twisted at the sheer idea of it. Her heart was racing, and blood and adrenaline were already pulsing with dreadful awareness.

The hooves were so close now, so impossibly loud, and all her mind was processing was her friend's faces, losing visibility in the coming darkness of night.

A great neighing rang through the air as one of the lead horses' reins was sharply jerked and the stallion reared. One of the leaders, it seemed, was drawing the others to a halt.

_They're waiting for us to come out._

And then, everything changed. The other mount in the front followed the other's lead, also sharply ceasing its movements. At most, they were only thirty feet away, their faces close enough to see in the fading light. The weird thing, though, was the soldiers following them. For some unknown reason, they kept charging, heading straight for their leaders.

And then one of them threw back his head, and _laughed._ A vicious, scary laugh.

"If you want us, come and get us, Begnion scum!" He roared, raising his lance high into the air. An equally frightening laugh of bloodthirstiness tore the crisp air, emitting from the rider beside him. With that, the two took off at lightning speed once more, headed east after turning ninety degrees from the direction they came, and streaking right past the windows of the house they thought to be abandoned.

With cries of rage and fury, the actual soldiers tore off after them, and in the blink of an eye, all were gone, and silence ensued.

It had all happened so fast! The approach, the exchange, and they were gone. Why were the soldiers chasing those people?

Despite the lasting fear she felt now, Micaiah was overwhelmed by the rush of relief. They weren't after them at all, they were safe today, and her friends were alright.

Breathing heavily after holding her breath for so long, she turned to the rest of the group, utterly beaming with relief. Their reactions were very much the same as hers, and they were muttering "Oh, thank the Goddess!" repeatedly. Brandy hadn't moved an inch since they got inside the house in the first place, and was visibly trembling in the arms of Winnie.

"It's alright, Brandy, we're safe now." Micaiah said, placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder. The poor girl, she was so young, and to see such a thing on her first night with her alleged heroes? They dealt with things like that every day. She could already feel Sothe having his doubts about her, but the others wanted to be supportive. People were executed daily, in some parts of Daein. It was just an ugly truth.

Brandy looked up at her from behind a veil of hair, lips slightly parted and tears falling from her eyes. An iron hand gripped Micaiah's heart and squeezed as she landed on her knees beside the girl, taking her hand.

"Be strong, Brandy. We see this every day, and I know it's horrible, but it's life. I'm so sorry you had to see that." She whispered through the pressure beneath her chin that made it hard to swallow. She couldn't help but feel like it was her fault.

"Did you see them, guys?" The dark mage choked suddenly, turning to Orland and Winnie, who exchanged raised eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" Asked Winnie slowly, shifting to get a view of the girl's face. Micaiah knew before the girl even said it though, she could hear it in Brandy's mind.

_Oh no... oh no no no !_

Brandy's eyes gleamed as more tears fell, streaking her pink face. She pulled Winnie tighter, and clenched Micaiah's hand before speaking.

"The two being chased. I know you knew who they were, Win." She coughed, and drew her knees to her chest. It was such a sad, volatile position. Winnie's head also fell, and her eyes darkened considerably. The Maiden gave Brandy's hand an extra squeeze, trying not to let her own head drop.

"I know you could tell it was Kest and Sade."


End file.
